TEACHER HIGHLIGHT young adults who have goals and aspirations. I have so much pride in my students when they are working in health facilities. My students are simply the best. They work hard, are not afraid to jump in, and are always respectful to others. I have previous students working in all aspects of health care... I feel blessed to be in this position and I hope that I am an inspiration to these students like they are to me.”
Dedicated teacher leads wakulla high medical academy By DCAE Staff
Have you ever had a teacher you just loved? Did they play a role in your life that you didn’t even know The focus of Wakulla High School’s Medical you needed? Academy is to integrate academic rigor with CTE. Students have clinicals in local nursing homes Meet the teacher we’re highlighting in April: Mrs. and nearby hospitals, and they gain hands-on Kristi Lawhon. People often associate Career and experience while learning what it means to work as Technical Education (CTE) with blue-collar work like a team. The program is not easy, but the students electrical or automotive jobs, but there are so many have a sense of accomplishment when they finish more pathways that exist within the realm of CTE. their senior year, and the program allows them the Health Science is one of these career pathways opportunity to see what it’s like to work in health – divided into three areas: counseling and mental care. Students also leave high school “job-ready” health services; family and community services; and can enter the workforce as they pursue their and consumer services. There are hundreds of college ambitions. programs across the state that prepare high school and postsecondary students for rewarding careers While some may choose a more traditional pathway in this diverse cluster. to become a nurse or doctor, other students have the opportunity to choose a path that leads Mrs. Lawhon has led the Medical Academy at to biomedical manufacturing or research into Wakulla High School for the past 13 years. Prior to diagnostic and laboratory technology. Students that, she graduated with her BSN from Florida A&M can begin to develop the skills necessary to University and worked as a nurse at Tallahassee pursue these careers in as early as ninth grade and Memorial Hospital and the Wakulla Health complete their high school education with on-theDepartment. She is one of the many examples of job experience that exposes them to the extensive women in CTE who have hands-on experience in career prospects in this area. the industry they teach. For more information on teacher resources and “I often get asked the question, why do you teach support, especially through our partners, like FACTE, when you could be making more money working please contact Niñafe Awong at Ninafe.Awong@ elsewhere?” said Mrs. Lawhon. “The answer is fldoe.org. simple. I love what I do. I love inspiring young people to reach for their dreams. I love watching the transition of meager underclassmen to mature 7
